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Conceptual Change from the Framework Theory Side of the Fence

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Abstract

We describe the main principles of the framework theory approach to conceptual change and briefly report on the results of a text comprehension study that investigated some of the hypotheses that derive from it. We claim that children construct a naive physics which is based on observation in the context of lay culture and which forms a relatively coherent conceptual system—i.e., a framework theory—that can be used as a basis for explanation and prediction of everyday phenomena. Learning science requires fundamental ontological, epistemological, and representational changes in naive physics. These conceptual changes take a long time to be achieved, giving rise to fragmentation and synthetic conceptions. We also argue that both fragmentation and synthetic conceptions can be explained to result from learners’ attempts assimilate scientific information into their existing but incompatible naive physics.

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Notes

  1. See for example Vosniadou and Brewer (1992, 1994), Vosniadou and Skopeliti (2005), Vosniadou et al. (2004, 2005), Samarapungavan et al. (1996).

  2. Baillargeon (1995), Carey (2009), Carey and Spelke (1994), Gelman (1991).

  3. See, for example, Nussbaum (1979), Nussbaum and Novak (1976), Sneider and Pulos (1983), Vosniadou and Brewer (1992, 1994).

  4. See for example Mason and Gava (2007), Mason et al. (2008), Stathopoulou and Vosniadou (2007a, b), Kyriakopoulou and Vosniadou (2012).

  5. There are a number of other attempts to reconcile the framework theory approach with the knowledge-in-pieces approach, such as those described by Brown and Hammer (2013) and Clark and Linn (2013).

  6. Some of the other reasons are differences in methodology, data collection and scoring criteria (see also Clark and Linn 2013).

  7. See Stafylidou and Vosniadou (2004), Vamvakoussi and Vosniadou (2010, 2012) but also Ni and Zhou (2005), Van Hoof, et al. (in press).

  8. See for example Nussbaum (1979), Nussbaum and Novak (1976), Sadler (1987), Samarapungavan et al. (1996), Sneider and Pulos (1983), Vosniadou and Brewer (1994), Vosniadou et al. (2004).

  9. Group or class discussion and collaboration are often implicit uses of cognitive conflict.

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  1. Cognitive Science Lab, Department of Philosophy and History of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Town, A. Ilisia, 15771, Athens, Greece

    Stella Vosniadou & Irini Skopeliti

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  1. Stella Vosniadou
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Correspondence to Stella Vosniadou.

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Vosniadou, S., Skopeliti, I. Conceptual Change from the Framework Theory Side of the Fence. Sci & Educ 23, 1427–1445 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-013-9640-3

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